


A Parisian Holiday

by EternalRedWolfe



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-25
Updated: 2019-07-31
Packaged: 2020-07-19 21:09:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19980538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EternalRedWolfe/pseuds/EternalRedWolfe
Summary: A trip to Paris for two people finds them in an unlikely situation





	1. Arrival

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to my beta, Beth, who very kindly helped me with my first two chapters after I rushed through them.  
> Set between season 2 and 3.  
> I've aged Cordy up a year.  
> I know there's some formatting issues and some translations didn't transfer but I don't have the time at the moment. I'll sort out the formatting tomorrow :)
> 
> UPDATE: FORMATTING FIXED

The doors opened and closed as people non-stop walked through them, coming from and going to all different places for different reasons, none of them ever the same. For instance, he doubted that anyone else coming or going through those doors was in Paris to meet with the clandestine Watcher’s council where he would have to lie about the whereabouts of his Slayer. He should be in Sunnydale - America, at least - looking for her. But no: once more he was cowing to the requests of the Council. He picked up his lone bag from the carousel and began his journey into the heart of Paris.  
  
Giles sat on the steps of a townhouse. He shrugged off his brown leather jacket, folded it over his bag, and rolled the sleeves of his shirt up to his elbows, revealing the bottom dip of his tattoo. He squinted up, taking in the cloudless, vibrant blue sky, and sighed.  
  
On a balcony of the building across the street, something danced as it caught the sunlight. Giles tried to catch sight of the object. This was one of his favourite pastimes: people-watching, exploring the lives of other cities, of the people who lived them. As he tried to make out the object through smudged lenses, he recognised a voice at once.  
  
“Oh, my god.”  
  
No. It’s not possible. 6 billion people in the world. It’s simply not possible.  
  
He picked up his bag and stood, not wanting to test those odds, but his time pondering over them cost him.  
  
“Giles.” Cordelia Chase walked out into the sunlight wearing a brown gown that sparkled magnificently in the sunlight, and wearing her hair piled messily on top of her head, adorned with a headpiece that added more sparkle to her.   
  
Out of politeness, he hoped his disdain didn’t show on his face. “Cordelia. How lovely to see you.”   
  
She waited for the car to pass before she crossed over to him. “What are you doing here?”  
  
“Council business.”  
  
“Right. Gonna tell them you lost Buffy?”  
  
He knew she didn’t intend to be harsh with her question, she didn’t know how to be any other way but he decided not to dignify that question with a response. “And you?”  
  
“Vacation with my family. But my father’s definition of a family vacation is to bring me to a business 'party' and leave me there while he whisks my mom away to another meeting in Milan.” She shook her head and Giles noticed the look of utter boredom on her face. “Anyway. Where are you staying?”  
  
That’s when it hit him. He had had the phone in his hand to make hotel reservations when the door-bell rang. Willow and Xander had shown up to bring him to the airport, make sure he had plenty of snacks, courtesy of Willow, and send him off. So now he was in a city, in a continent where his slayer was not - or, for all he knew, could be - to attend meetings he’d rather sell his soul to avoid attending and with no place to stay.   
  
Cordelia looked at him waiting for an answer. The woman could talk endlessly about the subtle differences of two pairs of shoes that looked the same, but now she waited for him to speak.  
  
“I, uh, forgot....” He looked along the street, trying to get his bearings. It had been a while since he had been here but he remembered there had been a nice little hostel near the Sorbonne, overlooking some beautiful gardens.   
  
An amused smile flitted across Cordelia’s lips. “Forgot?”  
  
“There’s been a lot happening these last weeks.”  
  
She pursed her lips together, trying to contain her amusement. “Right. Well.” She gestured to the building she had just left. “I should...” She turned to leave but spun around back to him. “God, Buffy and her goody two-shoes-ness is just rubbing off on me. I’m staying at The Westin. I’m in the suite and there’s a spare room going. Two, actually, since my parents abandoned me. So...”  
  
“I’m grateful for the offer, truly, but I can’t accept.”  
  
“Fine. Enjoy looking for a place to stay with jet-lag.” She turned back to the down the street and began walking, swinging her purse as she did so.   
  
She was right. Exhaustion was already getting the better of him and it would be a long week of meetings. “Wait.” He nodded in silent acceptance of her offer. “Thank you.”  
  
“You’re welcome.” Cordelia rolled her eyes.  
  
“Don’t you need to go back?” He looked up at the building where cheers and laughter were emanating from.  
  
“No. Someone probably just told a joke that started and “a banker walked into a bank” or something stupid. Let’s go.”  
  
He watched her walking away. She didn’t seem to care if he followed but as far as Cordelia was concerned, her word was law. So he shifted his bag to sit more comfortably on his shoulder and lagged behind her. He couldn’t help but think about how ridiculous this looked: him, in Paris, looking run ragged following Cordelia Chase, Sunnydale mean girl, the former cheerleader, walking authoritatively through the streets of Paris, the skirt of her full-length, chocolate brown velvet dress flowing behind her like a cloak. It almost made her seem more authoritative.   
  
They walked side by side for a while, but Giles quickly became distracted with the sites: the Ferris wheel in the distance, the smells of the bakery’s they passed, the music of street performers. As Cordelia rounded a corner, Giles realised he had began lagging again and jogged to keep up. He rounded the corner and nearly smacked into her. “Geez, take it easy,” Cordelia admonished. “And keep up.” She turned away from him and continued into the courtyard. Giles stared up at the vast hotel that enclosed the courtyard.  
  
As they walked along the foyer to the hotel elevator Giles took in the place’s grandeur, he hadn’t seen such opulence since he was a child. Cordelia looked right at home as she took long strides.   
  
Cordelia pushed the button to call the elevator. “Are you sure this is alright?” Barely able to keep his eyes open, he leaned against the wall.  
  
“Why wouldn’t it be, sleepyhead?” The elevator arrived, and in they walked. Cordelia told the operator they were heading to the 6th floor.  
  
He thought of all the oddities that this situation brought about, that she didn’t seem to notice, so he decided to shake it off and accept her kindness. “Thank you. I do really appreciate this.”   
  
She shrugged. “I’m just trying to be nice.”  
\----  
  
For a short moment, Giles basked in the room’s luxury, and hated himself a little for doing it, considering all that had happened in the last 7 months. He tried to convince himself that it was because he had been travelling for weeks on end, going home long enough to get clean clothes and a new lead on where Buffy might be- gods, he had even left Willow, Xander and Oz in charge of patrol, what sort of person would do that?- and the mere idea of a hot shower and any sort of bed would be a dream come true.   
  
“This is yours.” She opened the door closest the kitchenette and walked in, opening another door that led to a bathroom. She picked up a jar of something and sat on the edge of the bath, turning it in her hands. “It’s adjoining so be sure to lock both doors.”   
  
Giles dropped his bag on the bed and stood in the doorway, watching as Cordelia stared, mesmerised by the object in her hand. “Are you ok?”  
  
She looked up at him and blinked, then smiled. “I’m starving. Want to get dinner?”  
  
He shocked himself by saying yes. “Um, I’ll just shower and change. I won’t be long.”  
  
She smiled at him, placed the jar on the side of the sink and walked out the door that led to her room. He closed it behind her and locked it. He glanced at the jar she had been fussing with and picked it up. It was nothing remarkable. Some expensive face cream by the look of it.  
  
Twenty minutes in that shower washed it away all doubt, discomfort and questions he had been brimming with. He changed into a green sweater and jeans and walked out of the room. He found Cordelia on the balcony, in a tank top, tailored cotton shorts and flat shoes.  
  
“Hungry? My treat.”  
  
“You really don’t--"

“I just spent the last three hours feigning interest in stock markets and interest prices. I’ll pay for dinner and all I ask in return is that you try to be mildly more interesting.”  
  
“Alright. I know nothing about stock markets or finance…”  
  
She beamed and picked up her purse.   
  
____  
  
He had convinced her to let him pick a restaurant. Somewhere he had loved when he had lived here. He made a mental note not to mention that period to her. The teasing would be endless. He knew she would like it, with its upmarket feel and excellent food.   
  
He held the door open for her and watched as her eyes took in the restaurant. The fresh flowers placed sporadically, making sure every area had a hint of peonies, neroli, roses, but not being overwhelming. The lighting was the same: enough that you weren’t blinded but most of it coming from the candlelight.   
  
Giles moved up to the Maitre’d. “Bonjour.” _Hello._

“Bonjour, et bienvenu.” _Hello and welcome._

“Une table pour deux.” _A table of two_

"À l’intérieur ou à l’extérieur?” _Inside or outside?_

Giles cast an eye outside. “Uh, à l’extérieur.” _Uh, outside._

“Trés bien. Par ici, s’il-vous-plait.” _Very good. This way, please._

Giles turned to Cordelia and gestured for her to follow the Maitre’d. He frowned at her expression, unable to tell exactly what she was feeling. She stepped in front of him and they followed the man up a set of stairs that led onto a rooftop terrace. As Giles sat down, the man pulled out Cordelia’s chair and read out the specials as he handed them menus.

"Je vais vous donner un moment.” _I will give you a moment_.

The Watcher and the former cheerleader were left alone. Glancing over the menu, Giles became aware of Cordelia’s eyes on him over the top of her own, smiling. “What?”

“I’m just impressed.”

“You didn’t think I could speak French.”

"I didn’t really think you could do much at all except cross reference, be snarky and get knocked unconscious on a regular basis.” Cordelia closed her menu and rested her hands on top. Giles noted that she was taking care not to rest her elbow on the table. He wanted to retort, but as only sarcasm and snarky comments came into his mind and he thought better than proving her right, he mirrored her position. 

A waiter arrived, pen ready to take their order. Giles opened his mouth to order but Cordelia cut him off. “Je vais avoir la linguine aux fruits de mer, s’il vous plaît.” She cocked an eyebrow. “Et tu?” _I will have the seafood linguine, please ... And you?_

Giles smiled. “Je vais avoir la même. Et un scotch, s’il vous plaît.” _I'll have the same. And a scotch, please._

Et, je prendrai un vin blanc.” _And I'll have a white_ wine

Giles glanced up at the waiter. “Non, elle est dix-huit.” _No, she's eighteen._

"Oui. Et c’est l’âge de boire en Europe. Vous êtes en Amérique depuis trop longtemps.” _Yes. And that's the drinking age in Europe. You've been in America way too long._

They handed their menus back to the waiter and Giles poured two glasses of water. Cordelia looked around, her eyes landing on the Gardens below. “It’s nice, isn’t it?” He could think of nothing else to say. “How are you settling into LA?”

She began buttering a piece of bread. “Great. I have an amazing apartment. And I’ve had a few auditions that went really well. I got some commercials almost straight after graduation. This casting director thinks I’ll be perfect for this part in a storyline that might come up in a few months for _The Bold and The Beautiful_. I just finished this part in _Baywatch_. I’m doing pretty well considering I’ve only been there for about 8 weeks, but that’s not really a shock since, hello,” she flicked her hair back, her smile turning ever so smug, “it’s me.” She took a bite of the buttered slice, followed by a sip of her wine. “How’s life on the Hellmouth?”

"Buffy still hasn’t returned.” 

Cordelia shifted in her seat, sitting up a little straighter. “So. She was gone last summer.”

“We knew where she was last summer.” The waiter came out with their food and placed it on the table. As he left, Giles lowered his voice. “She didn’t just take off.”

"But last summer was quiet, right? So she knew that. Giles, she’s taking some time off and getting her head together. She’ll be back.” She took in his demeanor as Giles stared deeply into his drink. She laughed lightly. “Huh. This is a surprise. Of the two of us, I’m the one who has more faith in her.” She grimaced and wiggled her shoulders. “I feel icky.” Giles laughed in derision and held back what he wanted to say. “She’s been through a lot. You all have. She just needs time. What?” The look on his face irritated her.

Giles was staring at the sky. The sun was setting, making the sky look like it was at war. He hadn’t realised his head had been making small shakes from side to side. He turned his attention back to her. “A very eloquent breakdown. But you didn’t exactly see the destruction the Angelus caused.”

She stopped bringing her food laden fork to her mouth, instead returning it to the bowl. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

"Well, you weren’t exactly affected, were you? You were a casual bystander. He didn’t come after you.”

She pressed her palms against the table. “You know what?” He saw the hesitation on her face. “Maybe we shouldn’t talk about Sunnydale or last year or Buffy while you’re staying with me.”

His curiosity outweighed his irritation at her blackmail. He knew this would lead to a fight. She was right: Sunnydale was vampire-lite this time of year and he had desperately hoped to smash in some Vamp skulls with his fist. “No, what were you going to say?”

She glanced at him and returned to her meal. She didn’t take his bait. “You’re an ass.”


	2. Suspicions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Giles enlists the help of an old acquaintance to aid Cordelia's in her search

Cordelia paced around her room while she finished getting ready for bed.  _ Ungrateful ass _ . She rubbed her face cream in small circles on her cheeks, forehead, neck and chest, 60 seconds a piece as she walked _. Stupid, ungrateful, ass _ . The rest of the dinner had gone by in complete silence, Giles only speaking to thank the waiter and ask for the bill, while she stewed. How dare he? Yeah, so maybe her boyfriend didn't turn evil; maybe her boyfriend didn't die; maybe she didn't end up in hospital with a broken wrist or a coma; but her friends had, and she watched them go through that. And when the time came for her to step up to the mark? She pushed the answer down and returned to her anger.  _ Stupid, ungrateful, arrogant, hoity-toity - _

The tiny knock on the door that interrupted her tirade annoyed her. "What?" she snapped at the slab of wood between her and her guest.

As Giles stepped into the room, she resumed thinking about how ungrateful and arrogant he was.  _ So arrogant, that he makes himself a cup of tea and doesn't even offer to make me one? Jackass. _

"Um..." He stared at the hot cup, finally lifting his head, meeting her eyes and handing her the hot cup of tea.

Her face softened. "Oh." She took the cup and sat on the chaise lounge at the end of the bed, breathing in chamomile and lavender. She mumbled her thanks.

"May I?" He nodded to the space beside her. She nodded and tucked a leg under her so she was half facing him. He didn't look at her. "I'm sorry. You, um, you hit a nerve that I pretend isn't there. I can't blame Buffy for what happened the last few months. I don't. But sometimes I lose my logic and I can't help but think if she had just killed him when she first had the chance; if she could have just separated her feelings for him for one second, like--" He took a deep breath. "Things would be different."

"If she had just buried her feelings, like you did? With Jenny?" He went rigid. "Some people are really good at hiding their feelings. Buffy isn't one of those people."

"Are you?"

"Jury's still out on that one."

"You were too young to see what the evils in this world are capable of. All of you are."

"I hate to burst that protective bubble you're trying to put around me but I already knew. Long before you or Buffy showed up on the scene." She took a sip of her tea.

"You will live with the memories of this year for a long time, you lost people too. I didn't mean to diminish that. I think I... I just need to talk to someone about what's been going on but the choice is pretty slim."

She smiled brightly at him. "Well, I guess if you absolutely have to, and it keeps you from blowing up at Xander or Willow, you can talk to me." She dulled her smile. "Only if you have to. I, uh, I'm sorry I kept reheating my bath so you couldn't use the bathroom."

"I thought I kept hearing running water alright." He looked at her and smiled. "Are we ok?" She nodded. "Alright. I'm going to go to bed. I have to be up early."

"Goodnight."

* * *

As soon as his head hit the pillow, he was wide awake. He spent an hour, wishing he had made tea for himself, never actually getting up to make one. Then closed his eyes, hoping the sounds of the street would lull him to sleep. Around midnight he decided to get his book from his bag and hope that would do the job.

It did.

When he next looked at the clock it was nearly four. He had been jolted away by the sound of retching coming from the bathroom. He kicked off the sheets and walked to the door. "Cordelia?" He waited for a response, then knocked lightly. "Are you alright?" A few seconds passed before the door opened to the darkness of the bathroom. Cordelia stood leaned against the door, pale, eyes bloodshot. She wiped her mouth. "I... I think the wine didn't agree with me."

"Ok. I'll refrain from saying I told you so," he joked. She tried to look at him, but squinted into the light from his room, and looked away. He reached for the switch, dimming the lights of his room before putting a hand on her shoulder. "Let's go lie down." She nodded and he led her back through the dark bathroom into the bedroom that was barely lit by streetlights and the coming dawn. She crawled into bed, huddling into the duvet more so than resting on the pillows. He pulled the sheets around her, tucking her in and pushing a few stray hairs away from her mouth. He turned to the door. "Don't leave me. Please." He looked back at her, the streetlights illuminating her face. He could see the tear stains on her cheeks. He had that feeling, tingling at the back of his neck, pulling in his stomach. Cordelia Chase wasn't the type of woman who couldn't hold her drink and couldn't handle a hangover. Something wasn't right. He crouched down beside the edge of her bed. "I'm just going to get you some water and I'll be right back."

She nodded and let him go. When he came back in with a bottle of water, Cordelia was fast asleep.

* * *

The sun poured into the room, shining right into Giles' eyes. He was resting in the chaise lounge which he had positioned on the wall next to the bathroom. Cordelia hadn't stirred from the position she had fallen asleep in, except to turn onto her other side. He checked his watch. He needed to meet the council in an hour. 

He took his time getting ready, checking on Cordelia regularly. He checked his watch again. 10 minutes. He didn't care if he was late. Dressed and ready to go, he crouched next to Cordelia and gently shook her awake.

"Ughhhh." She threw her hands over her eyes, then buried her head into the duvet again..

"Listen, I have to go. But I'm going to have breakfast sent up to you in a couple of hours. I'll have them ring before they come up. Are you even listening to me?” he asked, smiling, hoping the edge of his words would let some of their old rapport seep back in after the events of the night before.

"Yes. Breakfast. Ring. Got it." She turned away from him, burying herself under the duvet. Giles muttered under his breath and stood up. “Giles-” He turned around to face the duet but found her sitting up in bed, eyes closed and hair a mess. _Could it be? Cordelia, hair in disarray, thanking me. She has changed._ "Can you close the curtains before you go?"

He did as he was asked and grumpily headed out.

* * *

Giles arrived at the Paris Council Building, covertly situated close to the catacombs. He knocked on the door, which was promptly opened. He didn't recognise the young blonde woman who answered. She looked at him suspiciously. "Yes."

"Rupert Giles." Her suspicions didn't drop but she opened the door to let him in. "You're late. Everyone else is here."

"Yes, well, everyone else doesn't have an active slayer." He followed her down the hallway, to the large library where men of different ages and the same social class were conversing. His time in Sunnydale, his time with Buffy, really, made him take note of the few women in the room. He spotted a man at the far corner of the room caught his eye but Giles was intercepted.

"Ah, Mr. Giles, I believe." The young man held out his hand. Giles didn't take it. Instead, the man began straightening his tie. "Wesley Wyndham-Pryce."

Giles nodded, knowing exactly how well the Wyndham-Pryce's fit into the Council. "It's nice to meet you."

“And you. I must say, it's quite a surprise that you made it, we were thinking you wouldn't come. What with having a Slayer to maintain."

"Buffy's more than capable of handling a few days in Sunnydale without me." He wasn't sure if it was her absence, or what she had been through last year, that made him feel the need to defend her. "In fact, she'll be thankful for the extra hours to patrol instead of train."

"Indeed, from what I hear, your Slayer's methods are ... Different."

"Buffy gets the job done. She's saved the world, she's defeated The Master, The Three... Agents of The Order Of Taraka." He took a deep breath. "Angelus."

"Which we hope to hear a full report of..." Giles turned to meet Quentin Travers, senior member of the Council. 

"Quentin, how are you?"

"Well." Giles took the tea he was offered by his boss. "The Hellmouth is keeping you busy."

"Yes. As I was saying, Buffy's doing exceptional work."

"Mmm, shame about Sam's slayer."

A pang of guilt struck him. When Giles thought of all the atrocities committed by Angelus, Drusilla and Spike, the death of a Slayer that was in his care ranked only second. At least he knew Buffy was alive and well, wherever she may be.

"Is Sam here?"

"No." Quentin took a sip of his tea. "But back to the matter of your Slayer." Giles prickled with irritation. "She'll be..." He paused, taking another sip. "How old next year?"

"18."  _ January 19th. _

"Ah, yes. It'll be her chance to prove herself." Giles froze.  _ The Cruciamentum.  _ The archaic tradition that tested a Slayer's abilities, even if the cost was her life. A small part of Giles hoped that Buffy would stay away. "We will have all the details for you closer to the end of the year, but I don't need to remind you of the rules."

"Is it necessary? Buffy has proved herself-"

"We need to be sure that, should The Slayer lose her abilities, she will still be able to do her duties."

For a while, Giles tuned out the voice of Quentin Travers. His eyes moved around the room, taking in the familiar faces and some few unfamiliar ones. He brought his attention back to the two men who were standing with him, one of whom had frozen in place, bringing his cucumber sandwich to his lips. Giles followed his eyes and groaned.

"Oh no."

Standing in the archway of the library, watched by a number of Council member, Cordelia spotted Giles, smiled and waved. She began walking towards him. He handed Wesley his tea and rushed to intercept her.

"Hi."

"What are you doing here?"

"I needed to talk to you and I didn't have a number. Do you even have a cell phone?"

"How did you find me?"

"You told me where these meetings were. Remember? We were walking to dinner and you started complaining about how you had to come all the way over her to come to pointless meetings with people you didn't even like."

Red creeped onto Giles cheeks as he became aware of the lull in the voices around them. "Thank you for that. How did you even get in here? You're not a Council member."

"I knocked. When no one came I just turned the handle and walked in. What's the big deal? I don't even care. I need to talk to you. Alone."

He nodded and followed her out to the hallway. He opened the front door and stepped out into the fresh air. "Are... Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah. My tummy's better. My head hurts a little. I, ugh, I get migraines. Not a big deal."

"Well, at least it wasn't the wine."

Her usual smile fell. "Something's happening. I saw something last night." She chose her words carefully. "I went downstairs to get some water."

There's water in the room."

“Sparkling. Anyway, I saw this couple. The guy had her pinned against the statue of the lion and the next thing she was gone."

"She ran away?"

"She disappeared."

"Maybe she ran away."

“Ok, but something caught my eye in the paper this morning and I asked the room service guy about disappearances and he said that they've gone up in the last few weeks. That there was a group of friends that had hung out with these guys, and one of the girls was standing right next to her friend and when he turned around she had completely vanished." She grew angry. "You think I'm seeing things."

"No. I just don't know what we could be dealing with. Portals would be the obvious choice but there'd be some sign of them."

"Do you have a pen and paper?" She reached into her bag and pulled out an old receipt and a lip liner. He looked at it apprehensively. "It's all I have."

"Meet me at this address in an hour and a half." He folded the piece of paper in half and handed it to her. "Wait for me."

Taking the address, she held his hand a moment longer. "You.. You do believe me, don't you?"

His face softened. "Of course I do. Don't worry, we'll figure this out."

* * *

Cordelia sat across the street from the shop Giles directed her to. She had arrived a few minutes early, enough time to run into the coffee shop and get a black coffee, which she had just finished downing the dregs off when she checked her watch. Giles was 20 minutes late.

She crossed the street to Fourberie and looked into the shop. It looked dark but harmless enough. And she had gone with Willow enough times to the Magic shop in Sunnydale. She pushed the door which gave a little. She pushed again, finally making her way inside, finding letters and boxes blocking the entrance. The shop looked empty but she heard someone singing down the back. She walked in, thinking maybe she should wait for Giles. "Hello? A friend of mine said I could get help with something here." Halfway down the aisle she got jitters and decided to turn back. Backing up she walking into someone and yelped. She turned around.

“Mon amie, je suis desoleé, je ne voulais pas vous faire peur." _My friend, I'm sorry, I did not want to scare you._

Cordelia's stomach turned as she took in the man's face, the scarring on his left forearm. "I know you."

"I don't believe we've met..."

She smiled her biggest smile at him. "Well, I can remind you." Placing her hands on his shoulder she connected her knee to his groin and ran past him, getting to the front of the shop she ran into Giles. He looked at her concerned but she didn't give him a chance to speak. She pushed back the annoyance of him being late, of him not calling out when he arrived and let another annoyance take place instead. "Ethan Rayne? You sent me to Ethan Rayne? On my own? Are you crazy?"

"I believe my instructions were 'Don't go inside until I get here.'”

“I'm sorry. I should have asked, 'Why, is there a chaos worshipper that you used to have orgy parties with there?'”

Giles bit back his retort: the snark could go on for days. “Are you alright? Did he hurt you?"

"I didn't give him the chance to."

As Ethan appeared from the aisle limping, Cordelia moved behind Giles.

"Ah, Ripper. Thought you'd pay me a visit? Just like old times?"

"I want information, Ethan."

"Now, now. Not for a price? You know me better than that."

"You  _ will _ tell her what she wants to know."

Ethan kept walking towards them until he was mere inches from Giles. "How is the Slayer? Liking her tattoo? Or that pretty teacher you were close to? Did she enjoy Eyghon?"

Cordelia stepped in front of Giles and moved up to Ethan, grabbing his hand and bending it as far back as she could. "Listen, you little weasel, I don't give a rat's ass what gets you off, but you are going to tell me what I want to know or else I use my own brand of torture. I'm thinking N*Sync. Or The Spice Girls."

"All right. All right. What do you want to know?"

“Portals. In this city. Talk." Behind her, Giles was leaning against the counter, smirking.

Ethan shifted, uncomfortable with the position his hand was in. "There's a portal, near the aquarium. It leads to a world that doesn't have any shellfish." Cordelia bent his hand back. He gave a small cry of pain. "Maybe if you narrow it down a bit."

"The Tuilleries."

"Under the Ferris Wheel, if you go down far enough, you'll find the entrance to a hell dimension. The statues. Renommée and the Pegasus. Leads to a world where all the animals have wings. There's one under Theseus and the Minotaur- sends you back to ancient Greece. The Bronze Tree. The Nymph is my favourite. If you know where to put your hands."

Giles moved up to them, quickly. "Don't," he warned Ethan.

Cordelia recalled the memory of the night before. "The northwest entrance, near the Rue de Rivoli. There's a statue like a lion or a bull or something."

Ethan didn't hesitate. "There's no portal there."

"Yes there is."

Ethan paused. "No... No, there isn't."

Cordelia bent his hand back. "Yes, there is."

"Fine, fine there is. But I don't know about it."

Giles sighed. "Cordelia. He doesn't know." He put his hand on her shoulder.

"But-"

"We'll find another way to figure this out." He threw a glance to Ethan. "Without him."

Paying no more heed to Ethan, she left the premises.

Ethan stood up, rubbing his hand. "She's a firecracker."

"I don't want to ever see you in Sunnydale again, Ethan, or hear that you were there. Am I making myself clear?"

His back to Ethan, Giles couldn't see the smirk that was creeping onto Ethan's lips. "Completely."

* * *

The sun was beating down on them as Giles left the oppressing heat of the shop and stepped into the refreshing light breeze. He walked over to where Cordelia was standing, staring up at the Sacre-Coeur high up on the hill.

“Would you care to go for a walk?” 

They began their walk in silence. A few minutes into the walk, Cordelia spoke. “You don’t believe me.”

“I do.”

“Oh, really? So you’re not taking me on this walk to convince me I’m seeing things.”

“No, I’m taking you on a walk because if it is a vampire, we have 6 hours until sunset. We won’t be able to do anything until then.” 

She bit her lip. “So, what’s the plan?”

He shrugged. “Kill some time, get supplies: stakes, holy water, crosses, a few pieces if it isn’t vampires. Head back to the hotel for dinner and then to the gardens. Wait at the statue. See if anything happens.”

“Do you need to head back to the Watchers’?”

“No, not today.”

They reached the bottom of the steps and began their incline. Cordelia now pulled down over her eyes the sun glasses she had been keeping on top of her head, holding back what remained of her bangs. 

“How did you know where to find Ethan?”

“We go back. We’re old friends. I know him.”

“And after everything he did last year, you just… let him be?”

“Ethan’s downfall will be of his own making, trust me.”

“I do. How long has he had the shop?”

“A long time.”

“I have a theory.,..?”

He frowned. “Alright...”

She turned around, walking backwards up the hill. Giles was poised to reach out and steady her if she stumbled but she took the steps gracefully. “I think you speak French like someone who’s lived in France.” She raised an eyebrow at his silence. “So I’m right,” she beamed.

“I was 17. I left home. There were a few of us living here.”

“Including Ethan.”

“Yes. It was when we began our, um, dark magic.” He took in her laugh. “What?”

“You, as a kid, I just can’t see it.”

* * *

He didn’t take the steps like a man his age should. In this heat, at this pace, he hadn’t even broken a sweat. She was impressed. All those days training and nights patrolling really paid off. And as much as she hated to admit it, she was a little enthralled with his exploits as a youth.  _ Maybe _ , she thought,  _ she appreciated the distraction _ . 

Her migraine was passing. The sun wasn’t helping, but the distraction was. Her stomach still churned but regular drinks of water kept the nausea at bay. It would pass in a day or two. She began thinking of the night before, what she saw, the headaches that came before and after. The retching. Giles staying with her. She had tried to fall back to sleep straight away but she couldn’t. Aware that Giles was beside her if anything decided to jump out in the this harsh light of day, she allowed herself to relax, the first time she did so since the night Drusilla had attacked the library.

She reached into her bag and pulled out a bottle of water, draining the remnants of it. 

“Oh, thanks very much, how considerate of you,” he said dryly.

“What?” She came out of her reverie. 

He pointed at the empty bottle in her hand. “Don’t worry, I’m not thirsty.”

“No, just snarky.”

He smiled a genuine smile. “Why are you so convinced I don’t believe you?” Cordelia shrugged. Reaching the top of the steps, Cordelia broke away from Giles and walked up to a vendor, bought a bottle of water and reached into her bag, avoiding Giles’ looks as she pulled out two pills and swallowed them, chasing them with a gulp of water. “You can talk to me. If there’s something bothering you.”

Cordelia walked to a spot of green and sat down. Giles followed her lead.

"That morning, when Xander brought you back to the hospital, we had done the spell. Willow was unconscious and Xander and Oz were really worried about her. You were conscious. Beaten up, bruised, but responsive and not that important at the moment." Her eyes shot up to his. "We were all really worried about you. But Willow... She was a real worry. So, Xander asked me to stay with you..."

"I remember, I told you to leave."

"Yeah, but after what Willow did with the, y’know, magic and Latin - I mean, I hate to admit it but take me and Buffy out of the mix and Willow is probably the scariest person I know when she wants to be. I didn't want her to find out I'd left you alone . Besides it was the least I could do after everything that happened that night. So, I stayed. You were in serious pain, you tried to hide it, but the doctors came in and gave you more morphine. You started talking. To me. To.." Cordelia had seen the apartment that night, how Angel had staged the scene. But she would never know what Giles saw. "To Jenny."

For once Cordelia was glad when Giles removed his glasses and cleaned them. She hoped he couldn't see her running her index fingers along just under her eyes.

"What did I say?"

Cordelia shrugged. "Things."

"Cordelia."

Cordelia watched him, still cleaning his glasses. "You told me what Drusilla did. How she got you to tell them about the ritual. How you felt. You... Told me about the life you wanted with Jenny. How much you loved her. At one point the nurse came in and asked me to leave and you said that it was ok for me to stay and then you … you called me Jenny. You called me your wife."

He pushed his glasses back up his nose. "Why are you telling me this now?"

"You deserve to know."

"Thank you." She watched him as he looked out to the Eiffel Tower, clutching his knees to keep his hands from shaking.

"Are you ok?"

"Um, yes. Jenny's gone. Our relationship was rocky...” There was a sad smile on his face. “I wish I could remember it."

"Remember what?"

"The last time I remember seeing her, it was a mind trick by Drusilla."

"And a drugged up state would be better?"

"No, her being here would be better."

“It’s not fair, not knowing what’s real or not real. Having mind games played on you. Angelus might have done all those awful things but I think Dursilla was the most evil of them all.” Though the sun shone, Cordelia felt as though darkness had crawled up on them just by speaking her name.

“You sound like you're talking from experience. I pity the person who tries to play mind games with you. Dusilla didn't...” He paused.

“What?”

“Did she hurt you?”

She scoffed. “Please, if she so much as tried she'd be a bundle of dust in a second flat. Unlike a certain Slayer, I'm not one to let my emotions get in the way of things. If I was I wouldn't have spent my senior year of my academic career hanging out with a bunch of losers only to become a social pariah myself. She tried to smile at him, but not entirely sure she was soothing him, she stood up. “We should start heading back. We need to get supplies.”

* * *

They had dinner in near silence. It went better than the night before had gone. They didn’t get angry or annoyed with each other. Like a sport, Giles took in all the celebrity gossip Cordelia forced upon him, trying to keep track of who cheated on whom with whatever nanny, which soap star was checking into rehab and the seemingly endless list of names of men that had asked Cordelia for her number. When they finished dinner, they went upstairs. Cordelia changed into warmer, darker clothes while Giles packed everything they had purchased on their way back. He kept out a few stakes, crosses and bottle of holy water Cordelia hurried upstairs to change into warmer clothes. When Cordelia came back out, she listened as he explained the crystals and protections once more, tying her hair into a swinging ponytail.

“Do you know how to fight?”

“I know that I bit a vamp once and that seemed to save my ass for a bit.” He looked questioningly at her. “I can hold my own. I'll be ok. Besides, you'll be here.”

They headed out and took a stroll around the gardens, and as the sun began to set, headed back to the north west entrance. The y took a seat across on a bench across the street and waited. 

Hours passed and nothing happened. Giles felt Cordelia lulling a few times and he didn’t blame her. If normality had any place in his life, he would be falling asleep too. The wind swept around them. Her head rested on his shoulder. He couldn’t pull away from the memory of her pleading eyes to believe her and willed himself to remain awake. He found himself willing some activity, anything, if only for the proof it would give the woman next to him and the smile that would come with it. But as the sun started coming up, nothing had happened. 

He stood up and shook her awake gently. “I’m sorry. There was nothing.”

She shook her head groggily. “But I saw…”

“Come on.” He held out his hand, which she took and pulled her to her feet.

* * *

When he came out of his room, Giles found C o rdelia lying on the sofa in her robe, her damp hair pooling around her shoulders. 

“Are you alright?”

“I know what I saw.”

“There are any number of variables: maybe it only opens at a certain time, a particular night or moon phase. Please. Don’t be put down by this.”

“You should go to work.”

Cordelia made sure that he was on the street before reaching for the business card in her bag and calling the number printed on it.

  
  



	3. Petrichor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Giles and Cordelia's relationship takes a strange turn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NSFW. I think.
> 
> I tried to keep this as non-cringey as possible.

He spent the day attending meeting after meeting, dodging people he had grown to disdain, and some he knew that he would grow to. In any spare time he had, he snuck to the library, pouring over books that contained the histories of The Tuilleries and maps that marked off supernatural occurrences in the area, in the hope of bringing some information back to Cordelia and pushing the images of Jenny as far away from him as possible. All he garnered from them was that Ethan had been telling the truth. They marked the portals he had spoken of off and there was one not marked at the northwest entrance.

As the day came to a close, Giles pulled Wesley to the side. “I have a query I was hoping you could help me with.” Wesley pulled proudly at his lapels.  _ Christ, I hope I never looked this pompous.  _ “I’m curious if you are aware of any portals that aren’t marked in the books.”

“If they aren’t marked, how would I be aware?” Wesley frowned.

“Word of mouth. Research.”

“I’m afraid I don’t know any. Has something been brought to your attention? Perhaps that young woman who showed up here yesterday.”

_ Observant git.  _ “No… She’s a friend of mine. Of Buffy’s. She’s curious about the Supernatural and was asking questions. I… I just thought perhaps someone ought to double check all our research. Make sure everything is closed; that we haven’t missed something someone might accidentally step in to.” He slapped Wesley on the back and walked off.

* * *

When Giles finally arrived back at the hotel, after circling and inspecting the statue, he found Cordelia on the couch as she had been when she left and suggested dinner. He watched as she picked at her food, mostly turning it around with her fork. He tried reassuring her, tried to get her to open up but she was offering nothing to him. Except her horrid opinion on the shoes some woman was wearing that he had no interest in. 

When they got back to the room Giles pottered around, cleaning up the small mess that had accumulated around the apartment. When he looked up, Cordelia was standing on the balcony.

He walked up to her bringing with him some crackers. "Why are you taking this so hard?" Cordelia shrugged. "Look, dinner was bad enough, are you going to say anything to me at all?"

She ran her hand through her hair. "I just... I can't believe it wasn't real. It makes me feel... Not right."

"I know." His mind went back to that mansion in Sunnydale, the kiss, the realisation. If he hadn't fallen for it, Buffy wouldn't have done what she had to do; she'd be in Sunnydale or LA enjoying the company of the people who loved her: her friends, her mother.

He remembered the woman's rigid stance as he filled in the blanks that Buffy had left in telling her about her calling. He had been on friendly terms with Joyce but now something had changed forever.

"Seriously?" Giles looked up at Cordelia's angry face. "If you're not going to even listen to me, why would you ask me what's wrong?"

"Sorry. I, uh, I guess I didn't realise how much I had going on in my head."

They stood facing each other, leaning against either side of the door frame. As they spoke the sun that had been beating down all day had become covered with clouds. It had begun to rain lightly. Giles stepped inside the door.

"You'll get soaked. Come inside."

"I will." She glanced back at him, smiling. "You don't get this in Sunnydale."

"What?" 

"That smell."

"It's petrichor." Cordelia's eyes fluttered open. "It's the smell when it rains after a long dry period."

Before he knew what she was doing, Cordelia was standing in front of him, on her tip-toes, her lips pressed against his, arms around his neck.

He pulled away from her. "What are you doing?" His words released a breath against her skin.

"I like how you talk." She reached for his bottom lip, smiling when he didn't pull away and pulled it between her own. "I figured there's not a whole lot else we can do in this suite."

He took her arms from around his neck and let them fall, but kept a hold on them. "This has to stop here."

"Ok." She took a step away. "But for the record, you’re going to have to deal with all those thoughts in your head and I'm going to have to now spend the night in my room imagining that you've undressed me."

_ Why did she have to say that.  _ His hands were on her hips and his lips touched hers. His body collided with hers with such force he pushed her against the door frame. Her arms wrapped around his neck, her fingers in his hair.

His lips left hers, moving along her jawline, down the side of her neck.

"Unless you want to give the neighbourhood a nice view, we should really go the bedroom."

"We can't do this."

"We've already crossed the line." She pulled away from him, grabbing his hand and leading him to her bedroom. "We might as well have fun while we're over here."

* * *

Safe in the privacy of the bedroom, Giles resumed the exploration of her mouth, while Cordelia made quick work of his clothes.

"Cordelia, I don't have any protection."

"I've got that covered."

He groaned as her fingers slipped inside the shirt, making first contact with his chest, sliding the fabric off him.

She felt him stiffen and reached for his trousers, removing his belt. As his pants slid down his hands left her hips, travelling south, and grabbed her, pulling her closer into him. He pulled away from her lips, moving down, massaging the other side of her neck with lips and tongue. Cordelia moaned, digging her nails into the nape of his neck.

"You're really not bad for an older guy."

"Your turn."

She pressed her head into his shoulder, her pulse quickening as he continued teasing her. Finally he brought one of his hands up, sliding it under the straps, sliding them down, as he continued rubbing her with his other. He repeated this process, with the other side, swapping hands. He removed his hands from her breasts, bringing them down the her hips. He pulled his head away from her, taking in her body as he tugged the dress off her as he took in her body. 

They moved over to the bed. Lying under him, kissing him, she reached her hand to nightstand. "Hang on." From the drawer she pulled out a foil packet. "Wouldn't want this to end badly." His grip tightened on her as she slid the condom on, delighting in the shudder she received. She began wrapping her fingers around him, but he stopped her, putting her arm over her head. “Alright, show me what you can do.” His hands roamed her lower body, touching her everywhere but where she needed him. "Giles." She hated the whine in her voice.

He pulled away from her breast. "I'm sorry, did you want something?"

"Uh, yeah."

He gave her small kisses on her neck. “And what… could that… possibly.. be?”

"Jesus. Just fuck me al--" His fingers were already inside her, moving slowly, exploring. She reached down, grabbing his cock and guiding it in, replacing his fingers. He began moving against her. She clenched as he moved into her and they found their rhythm. He moved in and out a few times, before pulling out completely. Cordelia readied to complain, but he moved back in. He moved again, and as her grip on his ass tightened, he pulled out. The third time he did this she guided him back in. "I said fuck me."

He smirked and started moving again, this time he stayed inside her. His movements quickened.

"Are you alright?"

She nodded. "A little bit faster." He did as he was told, putting he hands on either side of her head and putting his weight on them. She dug her nails into his wrists as she came. She arched under him and groaned as she came.

He kissed her in more small separate kisses as he pulled out of her and she wrapped her fingers around him and he finished. 

* * *

The kissing continued, long after they had finished. Long kisses and small kisses; deep; tender. After a series of short kisses, Cordelia rested her head on his chest.

"That was, um..." Giles mind went blank in that moment.

"Uh-huh."

"You don't know what I was going to say."

She looked up at him, smiling. "Fun, really good, the perfect distraction from both of our failures?"

"Failures?" He looked at her face and broke into a smile. "Yeah, alright. You're right. On all counts."

"I know." She propped herself up on her elbow, resting her head on her hand. "Does it change things? I mean... The good parts."

"No, the good parts were still good." He reached up and kissed her.

Cordelia glanced out the window. “It’s still raining.” She laughed. 

“What?” He twisted a tendril of her hair around his pinky finger.

“When was the last time you had sex?”

“A while… Why? When was the last time you had sex?”

“Good sex, a while.” 

“I don’t understand why that’s humourous.”

She moved onto him, her knees grazing his hips. She kissed him. “Petrichor,” she whispered, giggling.

In a swift movement he had their positions reversed, her legs wrapped around his waist, laughing as he smiled down at her. “As hilarious as you are, I think we best do something to entertain ourselves for the night.”

She laughed. “You’re getting the hang of this fun distraction thing.”

* * *

Cordelia woke to the smell of coffee. Opening her eyes, she found Giles sitting on the edge of the bed holding a cup of coffee. Seeing her eyes were open, he reached over to the bedside table and handed a cup to Cordelia. He scratched his forehead. “I wasn’t sure how you take your coffee.”

“This is fine.” She took a long drink from the hot cup. “So. What time are your meetings today?”

“Um, I don’t have any.”

“But I thought you had them -- Did you... cancel them for me?”

“No. They really weren’t anything I couldn’t miss. I just… Alright, fine, I didn’t like the idea of leaving you alone after last night. I don’t do that. Not even wh… I just don’t. God, I’m going to regret saying this: we can do whatever you’d like today.”

She smirked, moving closer to him, leaning across him and putting her coffee on the table, sitting up on her knees until she was just about looking down on him, her hair cascading over his face. She put her arms around his neck. “You’ve already got me in bed, you don’t need to impress me.”

His hands rested on her hips. “I’m not.” He brushed one side of her hair behind her shoulder. “I’m not going to those bloody meetings.”

“Ok.” She kissed him, long enough to get him into the memory of last night. “I’m going to go shower and then you can buy me a real coffee and not that watered down crap.”

She headed to the bathroom. “I made that coffee.”

“Oh. It was great.” She rushed back to him kissing him quickly, raising an eyebrow. “See: tact.”


	4. Goodbyes ?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Giles and Cordelia spend time together

If he had it his way, Giles would have spent the next few mornings lounging in bed with Cordelia than at the Council, the former option being much more appealing to him, but she convinced him he needed to go. What she had been busying herself with in her time alone come to light when she announced one evening that she had found a lovely little restaurant while on her run. It impressed him, she knew the city almost as well as he did.  
  
Aside from meetings, the next few days went by in bliss. They spent their days in the city, doing touristy things.  
  
They went to the Eiffel Tower, where a young boy kept bothering them and charged them far more for a polaroid than it was actually worth. The only reason Giles handed over the 20 francs was to stop the child pestering Cordelia.  
  
He found the young woman, whom he had always written off as a one- dimensional, spoilt, rich girl was far from it. She showed an extraordinary knowledge of the works of art in the Louvre, spouting off information that he already knew and even bits that he didn't, mostly about techniques and processes. She listened intently as he told her historical bits of information about the city, particularly anything that was rooted in the supernatural, and was surprised by her deep interest.  
  
He garnered a lot of information from her, particularly when they ventured out into the markets, their fingers laced together, to keep from getting separated in the throngs, he told himself. She told him about different fashions they spotted and the work that went into them; she gave him her opinions on pieces of art that were for sale but little known to unknown artists and, surprisingly, not all of them were negative.  
  
He wanted to do something nice for her. Most of this trip had been delightful, taking his mind off what awaited him in Sunnydale and it was down to her: her hospitality, their newfound attraction to one another and this side to her he had never seen before. He steered her towards a stall of exorbitantly priced scarves.  
  
"These are good, yes?" he asked her.  
  
"Um. They're pashmina."  
  
He looked at her. "And that's good?"  
  
"Uh, yeah." She picked one up and ran her fingers along it.  
  
"Pick one."  
  
"You're a librarian. I don't think your salary can afford this."  
  
He chose to ignore the comment. "Pick one."  
  
She viewed the offerings before deciding on one of blues, purples and pinks. As Giles handed over the cash, second guessing his kindness, Cordelia wrapped the scarf around her shoulders. She looked up to Giles as he asked her if it was alright but she didn't answer. Something caught her eye. Giles followed her to the stall of second hand gadgets and peered over her shoulder to see what had caught her attention.

"What is it?"  
  
"It's a Leica Visoflex II." She turned the camera around in her hands. "I haven't seen one of these since I was a kid."  
  
Giles glanced at the contraption. "You like cameras?"

She shrugged. "My grandfather was a cameraman at one of the studios in LA before he got sick. I used to spend the summer with them and before we'd go to the summerhouse he'd take me to work with him." She smiled. "I threw such a tantrum once because I wanted to work the camera but he said I was too small." She held the camera up for Giles to see it properly. "He gave me his one for the rest of the summer, and every time I went to the studio with him I'd take sooo many pictures. I went through so many rolls of film." She put the camera down, and they began walking. She scrunched up her face. "When we got them developed, about half of them were covered by my finger. My grandmother was furious that I wasted so many of them." Giles noticed that while her lips were smiling her eyes weren't. "My grandfather said that everyone needs to make mistakes to learn from them. He kept every single photo I took, even the completely blacked out ones and blurry ones."  
  
Giles smiled, imagining a child version of Cordelia throwing a tantrum and imagining it wouldn't take much to get people to bow to her will. "Where is he?"  
  
Cordelia frowned and held tight to his hand as they squeezed past a group of tourists. "My granddad? He and Nana moved to Sunnydale when she retired."  
  
"You mentioned he was sick."  
  
"Yeah, just... Old people stuff." The made it to the end of the market and she placed his arms around her waist. "So... Dinner? Or bed?"

* * *

The next evening, his last night in Paris, proved more despondent than either had expected. After 5 days of enjoying her company, Giles wasn't looking forward to going back to Sunnydale and starting the search for Buffy all over again.  
  
"You ok?" Cordelia interrupted his thoughts. "'Cause if I didn't know any better, I would say you were going to miss me."  
  
"We agreed this would only last while we were both in Paris."  
  
"I know." She was rubbing some of his brown hair between her thumb and index finger. "It's not necessarily a bad thing to want to stay. To pretend that this is it. Enjoying the finer things in life. And by that..." She kissed him. "I mean me." He laughed. She kissed him again and didn't pull away for a while. When he did, he moved his lips with her until she pushed him back. "I'll be right back." She hopped up and left the hotel room.  
  
She arrived back about 10 minutes later, hands clasped behind her back, a smirk on her lips.  
  
"What did you do?" He put his arms around her. She shrugged.  
  
The phone rang.  
  
"You want to get that?" she asked.  
  
He walked over to the phone and answered. "Hello." He paused, watching Cordelia as she leaned against a cabinet. "Is that so? Ok. Thank you for letting me know." He hung up. "Do you want to hear the strangest thing? My flight tomorrow morning is cancelled." He began walking towards her. "It's been moved to the day after tomorrow."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Strangest thing is... The airline company doesn't know where I'm staying. However could they have tracked me down?"  
  
She shrugged again. "I really couldn't tell you."  
  
He snaked his arms around his waist, a smile playing on his lips. "I guess I'm going to have to stay in the city an extra day."  
  
"I guess so..."  
  
He kissed her, deeply, passionately. She returned it with equal vigour. Between kisses he said, "I must find something to entertain myself."  
  
"Whatever will you--" Before she could finish the sentence, Giles had her in his arms and off the floor, carrying her off into the bedroom.  


* * *

The announcement came over the intercom.  
  
Giles waited until the announcement was finished. "That's my flight."  
  
"Yeah." Cordelia smiled up to him. "Listen. I had a really great time the last few days."  
  
"So did I."  
  
"But we're clear... This is done."  
  
"Done."  
  
"You ok? Missing me already?"  
  
Giles took off his glasses and wiped them. "No." He looked at her, embarrassment written on his face. "Not that I would hate seeing you again."  
  
"Relax, library guy. I'm teasing you." She pulled at his hand. "Go. You need to board."  
  
He picked up his bags. "Good luck... Work and... all... Endeavours."  
  
"You too. Finding Buffy. Forces of evil..."  
  
They stood facing each other for a few seconds. Cordelia reached up and kissed him as passionately as she had anytime they had gone to bed together. "One for the road."  
  
He smiled into her lips. "Goodbye."  
  
"Bye."  
  
She watched him go, watched him board the plane, watch it take off. She would never tell him what was happening, where she was going tomorrow, but knowing he was there would make the doctor's appointment more palatable.  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh.   
> You still have questions, do you?   
> You thought this was it, did you?
> 
> This wasn't it... Consider this the prologue.
> 
> Shameless plug for subscribers if you want to see where this story is going 8P


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